Aussie man set fire to pregnant partner: court

BRISBANE - A man who set his pregnant partner's face on fire has lost the right to appeal against an 11-year jail term.

Daniel Thomas Woodman was 27 when he threw methylated spirits onto the face and arms of his then-partner and set her alight in April 2008.

The pair had been in the river bed of Leichhardt River, in Mount Isa, when an argument broke out.

The woman tried to leave but Woodman threw methylated spirits from a bottle they had been drinking from and sparked a lighter.

She received severe burns to her arms, face, mouth and throat.

Woodman pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm over the attack in the Mount Isa District Court last December.

He also pleaded guilty to breaching a domestic violence order over a 2007 matter in which he bashed his partner's face with a brick.

Woodman had applied for leave to appeal against his sentence, arguing it was manifestly excessive in that the judge gave too much weight to his prior criminal history.

He also argued the judge failed to take into proper consideration his guilty plea.

But in a written judgment delivered on Friday, the Queensland Court of Appeal refused the application and dismissed an appeal against the conviction.

The judges noted the "horrific" injuries sustained by the victim, and the psychological impact of the attack which has caused her to be scared of men.

They also noted Woodman's "appalling" history of violent crimes against women, including his partner who was also the mother of his two children.

- AAP